Mobile phones are manufactured in a variety of form factors. There are bar-shaped mobile phones, slider mobile phones that swivel, and flip mobile phones, referred to as “clamshells”, that have generally two, but possibly more, sections that fold via a hinge. A “hinge” refers to a bearing that connects two solid objects, generally allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components.
The user interface of a clamshell phone is generally distributed over its two or more sections. When a clamshell phone is open, its user interface is fully exposed and accessible. When a clamshell phone is closed, the phone is not fully functional.
Many mobile phone manufacturers, such as Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill., place a secondary screen on the rear side of the top section of a clamshell phone, which displays information to the user when the clamshell is closed. Information displayed on the secondary screen may include inter alia a date & time, a number of missed calls, incoming messages and battery status.
In this regard, reference is now made to FIG. 1, which is an illustration of a prior art clamshell phone with a primary display screen in the clamshell's open position and a secondary display in the clamshell's closed position. Such prior art clamshell phones offer great advantage in displaying information to a user while the phone is closed. However, a drawback with such prior art clamshell phones is the additional space required by the secondary display and the ensuing additional cost.
It would thus be of advantage to produce a more space and cost efficient clamshell phone with primary and secondary displays.